I had no idea how incredibly bad media coverage had become until I ran for office...maybe it's always been bad.

I was an active participant in this mess. I'm sorry.

For all the people who had real, legitimate, interesting, newsworthy stories that I thought were being whiny that they didn't get covered.

I'm sorry. I should have listened. You were right.

For the people I wrote off as nutty when you told me that the way candidates were covered was a viscious circle; polls were free advertising for those who least needed it.

I shouldn't have rolled my eyes or heralded the press's right to cover, forgetting their responsibility.

For all the times I clicked a headline I knew was a reward for bad behavior while neglecting to also click the meaningful important story, this is my fault.

We should not prioritize bad behavior. It's like only giving your children attention when they are jerks.

To everyone I have criticized for their self-selected news, I understand how you got there. My beating the drum about a range of coverage was not enough.

How can I fault you for opting out when I don't work to fix what's wrong?

This makes it my turn to get the eyerolls, the claims of victimhood, the tin foil hat offers for saying the stuff that got us here.

Our priorities are *screwed up*. We have to fix it in meaningful ways.

This means vote, but also do more.

When you see a media source cover something salacious and counter-productive, do something.

If you see stories of inappropriate behavior in leadership, contact news sources and request two news stories of appropriate behavior for each one on inappropriate behavior.

I've complained about a debate last week. We should all call the media sources that have reported the conflict and demand an equal length story for each of the candidates that did not behave that way...and read them.

When we fail to take steps like this, we reward conflict.

If we know there are qualified candidates not being covered from lack of money, we shouldn't throw more money at it, we should demand a system that rewards quality.

Measurement of campaign by fundraising and salacious earned media is the worst possible way to create government.

Demand coverage of boring.

Get excited about competence.

Even if it's painfully dry, it's better than hurling our country off a toxic partisan corrupt cliff, right?

We have to stop our all cookie media diet.

We need veggies. We need fiber. We need substance.

So I am going to work on veggies.

I am going to point out local coverage I see that is not balanced (if I tried to do all national it would be my whole feed).

If I ask for more of something, take 5 seconds to rt and like. If I say something is a problem, take less than a minute and email/call the media source. We have to use our attention as power.

This won't change unless we make it change.

We made this problem. Let's solve it.

Ps - do this on your feed too. One candidate in rural Maine cannot fix this, but we all can together.

Reward good. Have a cookie now and then, but push forward more good than drama.

Related threads

'Campaign coverage: the road not taken.' There was a path the American press could have walked, but did not. This alternative way was illuminated as far back as 1992. Our political journalists declined it. And here we are. This thread is that story. 1/

One of the problems with election coverage as it stands is that no one has any idea what it means to succeed at it. Predicting the winner? Is that success? Even if journalists could do that —and they can’t — it would not be much of a public service, would it? 2/

A very weird thing about horse race or “game” coverage is that it doesn’t answer to any identifiable need of the voter. Should I vote for the candidate with the best strategy for capturing my vote? Do I walk into the voting booth clutching a list of who’s ahead in the polls? 3/

THE TRUMP-HITLER COMPARISON.
Is there any comparison? Between the way the campaigns of Donald #Trump and Adolf #Hitler should have been treated by the #media and the culture? The way the media should act now? The problem of #normalization?
2/

Because I’d written a book called Explaining Hitler several editors had asked me, during the #campaign, to see what could be said on the subject.

namgi au in which agust D is a famous rapper & producer whose face is a mystery to the general public, but min yoongi is a Gay Mess™ with a huge crush on emerging artist kim namjoon, aka RM. and what's the best way to get your music-loving crush's attention? a song rec list.

text au / thread fic coming soon* maybe probably???

*when i figure out how many apps i need to download to actually make the thing